The Naked City (1948)

Two New York City detectives investigate the death of an attractive young woman. The apparent suicide turns out to be murder.

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Albert Maltz (screenplay), Malvin Wald (screenplay)

Stars:

Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Lt. Dan Muldoon
Howard Duff	...	Frank Niles
Dorothy Hart	...	Ruth Morrison
Don Taylor	...	Jimmy Halloran
Frank Conroy	...	Captain Donahue
Ted de Corsia	...	Willly Garzah (as Ted De Corsia)
House Jameson	...	Dr. Stoneman
Anne Sargent	...	Mrs. Halloran
Adelaide Klein	...	Mrs. Batory
Grover Burgess	...	Mr. Batory
Tom Pedi	...	Detective Perelli
Enid Markey	...	Mrs. Hylton
Mark Hellinger	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

Amid a semi-documentary portrait of New York and its people, Jean Dexter, an attractive blonde model, is murdered in her apartment. Homicide detectives Dan Muldoon and Jimmy Halloran investigate. Suspicion falls on various shifty characters who all prove to have some connection with a string of apartment burglaries. Then a burglar is found dead who once had an elusive partner named Willie. The climax is a very rapid manhunt sequence. Filmed entirely on location in New York City.

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Plot Keywords:

manhattan new york city | murder investigation | police detective | police procedure | murder | 

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Taglines:

Filmed through the eyes of New York's Homicide Squad!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Paul Ford and John Randolph were working on the New York stage in the hit drama "Command Decision" (which itself would be produced by MGM as a Clark Gable vehicle) when they appeared in this film, which was shot on location in the city.

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Goofs

When Frank Niles enters the Jewelry Shop, there are two cops tailing him. However, the cops were in front of him waiting in a building entrance, and Frank passes by them. This makes no sense unless the cops knew where he was going, but the film makes no mention of this.

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Quotes

Muldoon: I don't know anything about medicine, doctor, but that's one prescription that never cured anything.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are spoken by producer/narrator Mark Hellinger. No credits are seen on the screen.

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Connections

Referenced in This Theatre and You (1949)

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Soundtracks

Sobre las Olas (Over the Waves)
(1887) (uncredited)
Written by Juventino Rosas
Background music for the girls on swings

User Reviews

The merging of Film Noir with a realistic police drama

This film is in many ways a good example of Film Noir--since it portrays a murder and its investigation, has a classic Noir-style ending and has some very "dark" story elements. However, unlike traditional Film Noir, the dialog and lighting are much more like a traditional film--less snappy dialog and more of an emphasis on conventional police work. This is NOT really a bad thing, as the film still was very entertaining but with a lighter and almost documentary feel to it and with a greater emphasis on the police work instead of on the sleazy Noir villains. In fact, since the film focused on the police and the day to day aspects of the investigation, it helped to usher in a style of film making that would be very popular in the 1950s on TV and in theaters (such as the show DRAGNET or the movie HE WALKED BY NIGHT).

The film itself stars Barry Fitzgerald. This is a VERY unusual casting decision but it did work very well. Normally, Fitzgerald is known for cute supporting roles, like the ones he played in GOING MY WAY and THE QUIET MAN. Here, however, he's a detective who coordinates the investigation. I liked it this way because he was far from the macho cop but more like a REAL policeman--experienced, smart and not about to resort to a fist fight with his foes--avoiding the usual movie clichés to say the least! In addition, the rest of the cast also seem more like real policemen when compared to other films of the time. The criminals, likewise, seem real and aren't obviously "bad" like they usually are in crime films--again a big plus.

So overall, this is a very realistic and engaging crime film with elements of Noir but certainly NOT the traditional style for the genre (the familiar Noir dialog, lighting, film angles, femme fatales, etc. are missing because they wouldn't be appropriate). It may disappoint some die-hard Noir fans, but for me it was quite acceptable and a good change of pace.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Homicide

Filming Locations:

Third Avenue El, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hellinger Productions, Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1